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Hit the Road Canada: Successful Summer Road Trips

With summer just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about that long awaited summer vacay! Now, it may sound dull and for some, may even bring back memories of back seat sibling spats and unbearable boredom for others, but the ‘ol road trip is worth considering for your summer get-away. It has several advantages: you can make it work for any budget or timeline; you can keep it chill or seek out adventure; and, for the indecisive or hard to please, you can satisfy multiple destination requests and plan an array of activities, all in one trip. When you’re not stuck in the car with your parents and a sibling whose sole mission is to get on your nerves for nine hours straight, a road trip can actually turn out to be a pretty great time.

That said, here are a few tips that will help to ensure your road trip is a success.

Pick your passengers: This is absolutely the most critical piece to an enjoyable road trip, but it’s not always an easy task. Keep in mind that sometimes your best friend may not make the best road trip buddy. Your significant other might not do it for you either. The trickiest part of planning your trip, one wrong pick and it can make for a very long car ride with more awkward silences than you can handle. Of course, it totally depends on your situation (joy ride vs. a mandatory move), but give this one some serious thought before you extend any invites.

Prepare your playlists: A solid line up of music will keep you and your crew happy whether you’re cruisin down the highway at 120km/hr or stuck at a dead stop in traffic. Classic oldies, chill, dance party, country cruisin, one hit wonders, all-time faves… the play-lists could go on. The more options you have the better! You can create your own playlist for your music player of choice on iTunes or Windows Media Player, but other playlist-making options are phone apps like 8tracks, Songza, or Hype Machine (just be careful if you’re driving dangerously close to the border—data roaming charges are not fun). Speaking from experience, it’s always good to have a few playlists that you can really groove to when moral starts to dip.

Stock up on snacks: Hunger doesn’t generally lead to the most positive human interactions (some people can get really hangry), especially when you’re stuck in a car with no sign of civilization in sight. Snacks to the rescue! Be sure to keep some yummy snack options in the car at all times. You can keep it healthy with a cooler stocked full of fruit and veg options (don’t forget the hummus!) or use this as an excuse to get your junk on. My personal favorites include home-made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, sun chips, and apples.

Make stops and swaps: For a truly awesome road trip experience, it has to be just as much about the journey as it is about the destination. This means frequent stops are encouraged, and it’s an added bonus if you can switch up the driver-passenger arrangement too. You’d be amazed at what a little break can do for the overall vehicle vibe. Take in the scenery and breathe in some fresh air every couple of hours. Hit up a road-side picnic area or check out some random small town, just for kicks. It might turn out to be one the most memorable parts of your trip!
__Embarking on a road adventure of your own? Take snaps along the way on Instagram and hashtag #farandwideFeatured Image sourced here. Included images taken by Laura-Leigh McKenzie.